Nightward
A treastie penned by Rachel Roth, Solitaire of Heroes Unlimited: Darkness Falls '' Introduction Those of us to whom the arts arcane act as an educational instrument are well aware that our Earth, First-Earth, lies at the very heart of the multiverse. From First-Earth one can traverse countless other dimensions, planes of existence, and timelines. I feel that it is my duty to explore other realms and educate the general populace that things do, indeed, go bump in the night. I write specifically of the horror known as Nightward. There exists in Darkness Falls no less that four entry points into the Nightward, and those that read this missive are cautioned that Nightward is not a place for tourists intent on entertainment and experience. It is a place of violence and death, both of which will consume the casual or ignorant traveler. History According to Lady Masha du Lioncour, the Nightward was once an exact duplicate of Paradigm City save that it was permanently shrouded in night time. Two centuries ago an alien race called the Kuhzar came and laid siege to the city. Humans were exterminated en masse, whether collected by vile monstrosities created by the aliens or by poisons put into the atmosphere and water supply. Humanity was reduced to a base and nearly extinct species, having no way to defeat their terrible enemies, which became known as Black Judges. Nightward was first discovered in the year of our Lord 2011, The first and greatest portal to the Nightward lies just under the Wainbridge Causeway, and seems to have been opened from the other side. Indeed it is from this portal that the noble hero Halloween first made contact with our society. Lady Masha spoke clearly and vehemently about her native world, equipping those of us with arcane knowledge with the revelations and expectations of what awaited us on the other side. I have been to the Nightward on several occasions and none of them inspired any desire to return. The Nightward is an exact duplicate of Paradigm City, but a Paradigm City wreathed in entropy and decay. Where our streets are brightly lit, those of the Nightward flicker a weak pale luminosity that struggles to breath like a young swallow attempting flight. Detritus, body parts, and dead animals litter the street. Phantasms of humans can be seen drifting sightless and aimlessly, and horrible creatures that are straight out of the nightmares of H. P. Lovecraft roam the light-less back ways in search of prey. Due to some magical force or meteorological phenomenon - I do not know which - it is always night there, the world blanketed by a permanent atromentus, with only the occasional pinprick of starlight dotting the ebony depths. Buildings are covered in mold and sag on their foundations, sidewalks are cracked and broken, and mirth, song, and laughter are only things of legend. The human population counts less than 10,000. They exist in small family knots, called conclaves, that take up residence in basements, garages, and warehouses. Only in these places are they free of persecution from the dreaded bargheists, vile canine-like demons that can scent the living and track such essences ruthlessly but they cannot enter any structure. The conclaves move cautiously and carefully, always well armed, for in Nightward it is illegal to be alive. The Black Judges The Black Judges are the name given to the alien invaders, a race called the Kuhzar. Black Judges exist only to cause terror and torment, emotions upon which they feed. The most distinctive trait of the Black Judges is that no two look alike. Like snowflakes and fingerprints, all Black Judges are humanoid in shape but from that point on all distinctions metamorphose. Some black Judges appear to be in terrible sages of torture: missing limbs, missing eyes, battle scars, and physical ailments such as a limp are common among them. They almost always sport some manner of body modifications: bizarre piercings and tattooing are also common features. One of the known leaders of the Black Judges, a being known as Coin, appears as a deathly pale human with the area around his lips cut away, his chest flayed open and pinned to reveal his bare sternum, heart, and lungs; and seeming ritualistic very small coins of silver embedded into his skull and cheeks. It is this being, Coin, that laid down all of the laws which now govern Nightward. The laws of Nightward state that life itself is illegal. All life is to be extinguished on sight. Life appearing in the Nightward is immediately detected by the terrible bargheists which will at once set out to find the life form and destroy it. There is but once exception: life forms within dwellings or buildings cannot be persued. I personally believe this law is in effect because the Black Judges, as well as nibbling on fear, consume life energy to maintan thier own existence. Emotions are appetizers, but death is the real feast. If all life in Nightward was extinguished, the Judges would have nothing on which to feed and thus would starve to death. Therefore they allow life to continue within the confines of shelter so they have just enough sustenance to continue. There is now way for me to verify this theory, and so theory it must remain. All Black Judges pay homage to an alien intelligence called ''Him. I have once glimpse this horror, which resides in Nightward's version of Raven's Grove. The conclaves of humanity in Nightward believe that Him is the source of the Black Judges, and I believe them. I cannot describe details of Him as I was not in its presence long enough to note finer details. Know only that what I witnessed was an oozing, bubbling protoplasmic mass from which huge eyes, multiple mouths, and creeping tendrils or tentacles emerged from. Halloween The human conclaves that fight each and every day for the survival of the Nightward pay homage to a Queen named Lady Masha du Lioncour. Lady Masha, pronounced Muh-SHAW, is the first and so far only human being born in Nightward that can control the very environment itself. Within the Nightward Lady Masha, whom we on First-Earth know as Halloween, can with her thoughts alone transform the topography of Nightward, repel the non-human residents of the Nightward, and heal injury and disease with a cool soothing touch. The only things not within her power are two: she cannot cause the sun to rise nor can she prevent the relentless onslaught of decay with is slowly consuming Nightward. Outside of Nightward Lady Masha is a force of nature, with power nearly equating to a Malvan. Not only is she virtually invulnerable and indestructible she has meta-human strength with which she can lift nearly 60 tons. Via her strength alone she is able to leap nearly a mile in distance from a standing position. She is further able to call upon the matter of the Nightward, which manifests as black bolts or beams of energy for fighting at range, or as bubbles of dark energy surrounding her hands for close range combat. This void-stuff is pure entropy; Lady Masha's prolonged contact with matter-including human flesh-causes it to be enveloped by decay and crumble to dust within minutes. As Halloween, Lady Masha was involved for a long while with The Armageddon Society, acting under the false promise that Tattletale could help her save the Nightward. She fought many heroes, proving her power by defeating Heroes Unlimited teams twice, and even battling Maron Namakaze, the Girl Wonder, and Brahma together to a standstill. When Lady Masha realized she had been duped she quit the Society and is now a proud-standing member of Heroes Unlimited. Lady Masha and her brother, Lord Immolasion, fight a never-ending battle against the Black Judges in the vain hope of driving the aliens away from the world and restoring humanity to its rightful place as the rulers of Nightward. Conclusion In summary, my apprentices, should you take it upon yourself to venture into the Nightward go in a group and go well armed. When you arrive, seek shelter immediately because the bargheists will be on you instantly and should you be captured you will be dragged to meet your death at the hands of a Black Judge. Complete your mission quickly, and seek Lady Masha or Lord Immolasion should anything go wrong. Yours, Solitare Category:Alien Worlds